9 The Library
by Shenice
Summary: During a case, Frank Hardy and Nancy Drew are briefly left alone in an old library. Will they remain professional?


9 The Library

 _I'm back…please review and let me know what you think. If anyone still enjoys these, I would be more than happy to get back into the groove of writing them xx_

"You know, there's a thing called Google that would help us out much faster than anything in this old dump," Joe knocked on a rusted bookshelf, coughing on the arising dust.

Nancy rolled her eyes and turned towards Joe, illuminating his face with the candle she was holding. "Relax, Mr. High Tech. You know why we're here. We're looking for information to piece together the rumors of an arsonist from years past to see if there's any connection to the recent fires. We're dealing with a town of 4,000 people, so it's nearly impossible to find that kind of detail online."

"Yeah, yeah. With that candle burning right in my face, I think I could say I found the town arsonist right here." Joe grabbed the light from Nancy, smirking as she rolled her eyes at him for the umpteenth time this afternoon.

Joe and Nancy approached a file cabinet with faded labels. One of the labels read, "Rivermore Town History 1920-1980" with massive film reels inside. Joe grabbed several and noticed a room to the left where he could watch the reels, but it was dark with no light switch in sight. "Why don't you catch up with Frank and I'll check out these film reels to see what I can find? Are you alright if I take the candle?"

"Of course. Catch up with you soon." Nancy set off to find Frank, squinting to follow the dimly-lit library signs that led to the newspaper section. If she wasn't accustomed to sleuthing around in worse conditions, Nancy would consider her current environment quite spooky. The library was old and dusty, adorned with decrepit labels and signs that looked like they hadn't been updated in decades. The three detectives had ventured into the basement of the library, and in their several hours, they hadn't encountered another soul. They were amongst the books and memories of a small town, and it was their job to learn more about it.

Nancy came across a giant shelf of old newspapers with the oldest papers on top and spotted Frank's back in the corner of the room, hunched over one of the papers. She approached him and quietly cleared her throat, letting Frank know she was there without disturbing his train of thought.

Frank turned around and unraveled his furrowed brow at the sight of Nancy. _What a sight for sore eyes._ He took in her V-neck green sweater with a matching plaid skirt that swayed as she walked towards him. He smiled warmly as her blue eyes became visible in the candlelight.

"How's it going over here, Hardy?" Nancy was curious to see what he had found. Frank pointed out the clippings before him.

"Not sure what to make of it just yet, but I did find out that back in '75, the local movie theater and bowling alley burned down within weeks of each other. I find it interesting that over 40 years later, this town is dealing with the same kind of antics."

Nancy tapped her finger to her lips. "Interesting find, since the latest fire burned down an arcade. Seems to me that this town likes to torch anything remotely fun."

Frank grinned at Nancy as she let out a sheepish grin. He appreciated the lightened mood, as he had been pouring over dull newspapers all afternoon. He lightly nudged Nancy with her elbow, acknowledging the quip.

Nancy continued, "I noticed the shelf of newspapers back there, but some of the older ones are too high up to reach. Have you seen a ladder down here?"

Frank shook his head. "I noticed that earlier, and was unable to get them myself. Want me to prop you up there to grab them?"

Nancy was grateful the darkened room concealed her reddened cheeks at his proposition. It was an innocent question, but she couldn't help but stare at his strong forearms that would be assisting her. _Now is not the time to be spell-bound by Frank Hardy!_

"Sure..." Nancy hoped she sounded more confident than she felt, and was unsure of the logistics of grabbing the newspapers. For one thing, she was wearing a skirt, so he couldn't possibly prop her up by the legs without catching a glimpse of more than she'd care to expose.

Frank seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, as he quickly suggested getting on his hands and knees so she could step on his back to reach them.

"So you'd be my human stepping stool, Hardy?" Nancy grinned.

"I'd prefer gentleman, Drew. But if you like I can just pick you up."

"As if you cou – woah, Frank!" In one quick swoop, Frank had put Nancy in his arms, keeping one hand behind her back and the other under her legs." He laughed as her face lit up in surprise.

"It's such a pity that you give me a hard time and doubt my strength. I have to take matters into my own hands, quite literally." Frank beamed at Nancy.

"Oh Frank Hardy, you are going to get it!"

"You're in no position to threaten, Drew. I believe I have the upper hand here."

"Oh, I think I could easily get it back." Nancy laughed as she laced her fingers around his neck. The comment was meant to be a joke, but she could now feel Frank's hair in her hands and instantly blushed, realizing the intimacy of the moment. Perhaps being carried honeymoon-style in a candlelit corner of a library was no place for humor.

"Is that so?" Frank's voice was considerably lower than before. He didn't loosen his strong hold on Nancy, but his fingers twitched slightly against her back.

"Mm." Nancy couldn't think of a clever retort, as she was too busy hoping the sound of her beating heart wasn't audible to Frank. Her breath hitched as she stared into the brown eyes of the handsome detective. Utterly entranced, Nancy found herself parting her lips. Frank was hypnotized as well, and inched his face closer to hers…

"Even the town's film reels have bored me to tears. Any luck over –" Joe abruptly stopped when he smirked at the sigh before him. "What's the matter, Nan? Can't use your legs in the dark?"

Frank gently put Nancy on the floor, trying his best to remain nonchalant. Nancy nervously touched her skirt, suddenly focused on the imaginary wrinkles in her clothing.

"Ugh, Joe. Of course I can – I was trying to, we were getting, it's too – there." Nancy's face was a deep shade of crimson as she emphatically pointed at the top of the shelf. "Frank was trying to pick me up to grab those newspapers."

"It may be dark down here, but that's not what it looked like to –"

"Shut it, Joe. Why don't you give it a try?" Frank asked through gritted teeth.

"With pleasure. Leave it to the clever one." Joe decided he needn't look to Nancy to assume she was rolling her eyes at him. With a forceful jump, Joe grabbed a middle shelf and pulled his weight up towards the top shelf.

"Gee, Spiderman. Who knew you could scale bookshelves?" Nancy retorted.

"With great power comes great responsibility, my dear," Joe bellowed as he grabbed a massive of pile of papers. "Bombs away!"

Frank and Nancy watched as a massive heap of old papers fell to the floor. Once the dust cleared, Frank looked to Nancy and sighed.

"Well then, looks like it's time to get back to work."

"You bet."

The detectives fell into a comfortable silence with one another, conveniently ignoring what had happened moments earlier.


End file.
